Thrivent and the Big Three at Work - ELCA, LCMS, and WELS

 

Son of Dr. Walter Maier - Paul Maier - Died at the Age of 94

 

Note that Herman Otten opposed Justification by Faith and Biblical inerrancy (the laughable Beck-for-bucks Bible).

Yes indeed, Otten opposed inerrancy and Justification by Faith, but Otten printed this on the back cover of the book he published - Walter A. Maier Still Speaks.

These four are descendants of Walter Maier. The professor on the left was savagely treated by the Objective Justification fanatics at Concordia, Ft. Wayne. The OJ faculty made sure he could no longer teach Romans.

The Rev. Dr. Paul L. Maier, noted author and Luther scholar who also served many years on the Praesidium of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS), died on Feb. 27. He was 94.

Maier was born in St. Louis on May 31, 1930, to the Rev. Dr. Walter A. and Hulda (Eickhoff) Maier. He and his brother, the Rev. Dr. Walter A. Maier II, spent much of their childhood on the campus of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis (CSL), where their father was a professor.

Paul Maier married Joan M. Ludtke in 1967. He earned a Master of Arts from Harvard University (1954), a Master of Divinity from CSL (1955), and a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Basel, Switzerland (1957), where he was the first American to graduate summa cum laude. He also received three honorary doctorates — from CSL (1995); Concordia University Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor, Mich. (2000); and Concordia University Irvine, Irvine, Calif. (2007).

Maier served on the faculty of Western Michigan University (WMU), Kalamazoo, for 52 years, including serving as campus chaplain for 39 of those years. At the time of his retirement, he had served longer than any other WMU professor. He served as a member of the LCMS Praesidium — fourth vice-president (2001–2004), second vice-president (2004–2010) and third vice-president (2010–2013) — as well as on the boards of the Concordia University System (1989–2001) and CSL (2001–2010).  

He was the author of a variety of historical fiction and nonfiction books, including a #1 national best-seller in religious fiction, A Skeleton in God’s Closet (1993). His first book, A Man Spoke, A World Listened (1963), was a biography of his father, the founding speaker of the radio program, “The Lutheran Hour.” Maier also wrote several children’s books, including The Very First Christmas (1999); The Very First Easter (2000); and The Very First Christians (2001).

Maier received numerous awards, including the “Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award” (2018); the Gold Medallion Book Award (1999); a citation from the Michigan Academy of Science, Arts and Letters (1985); “Professor of the Year” from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (1984); “Distinguished Faculty Scholar” from WMU (1981); and the “Alumni Award for Teaching Excellence,” also from WMU (1974). He was widely known as a Luther scholar and a historian with expertise in the Early Church and the life of Jesus. He lectured extensively; appeared frequently in national radio, television and newspaper interviews; and wrote more than 200 scholarly articles. He was a frequent speaker at Camp Arcadia, Arcadia, Mich. 

LCMS President Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison reflected on Maier’s service to the church: “Paul lived a remarkable life. He was a blessing to the LCMS and well beyond. His books defending the historicity of the biblical witness to Christ and the Early Church helped give us confidence and boldness to preach Christ. His novels intrigued, delighted and educated us about Christ and His church. It was my pleasure to spend years with him as he served on the Praesidium of the Synod. Christ is risen!”

Maier is survived by four daughters — Laura (Brett) Alexander, Julie Maier, Krista (Zach) Klepchak and Katie (Brad Toepper) Maier-Toepper; 10 grandchildren; a sister-in-law, Leah Maier; nephews Rev. Dr. Walter A. Maier III and Rev. Dr. David PE Maier; and great nieces and nephews.

Visitation will take place Thursday, March 13, 4–6:30 p.m., at Zion Lutheran Church, 2122 Bronson Blvd., Kalamazoo, Mich., with a funeral the next morning, March 14, at 11 a.m., also at Zion. Clergy are invited to robe and process. Additional visitation will be held at the church beginning at 10 a.m. before the service and again following the service during a light reception. A graveside service for family will follow at 2 p.m. at West Oshtemo Cemetery in Kalamazoo.

Memorials may be made to:

• The Dr. Paul Maier Endowment for Ancient History—WMU Foundation;
• Camp Arcadia; and
• Zion Lutheran Church, Kalamazoo.

Posted March 3, 2025

A Bitter Snowstorm Reached Springdale, Arkansas Today, Leaving an Inch of Accumulation by 10 PM.Correction - Knee-high Snow

Before and after - Friendship Sunday in WELS and the LCMS.

This is how Northwest Arkansas people view the first snow of the year.

"Do you really think this Friendship Sunday is going to work? I brought my dozen fresh cookies so I can discover my felt needs." 

Ichabod Reader Wants To Know - What Is HotChalk...What's the Dumb Name?Three Hundred Million Dollars Down the Drain!

 

"And then we closed Concordia Portland!"

Wikipedia:

"Opened in 1905 as a University-preparatory school, the institution added college classes in 1950 and the high school formally split from the college in 1977. The school of approximately 5,400 undergraduate and graduate students was affiliated with the LCMS and the Concordia University System. Located in northeast Portland, the school had branch campuses across Oregon and operated the Concordia University School of Law in Boise, Idaho. The university had four colleges and eighteen majors. Its athletic teams, known as the Cavaliers, competed in NCAA's Great Northwest Athletic Conference at the Division II level.

The university closed most of its schools after the completion of the spring 2020 semester when its parent, the LCMS, withdrew major financial support. Concordia University of St. Paul, Minnesota, now operates the School of Nursing and offers a program with an accelerated bachelor's degree.^{[4][5][6][7]"}

https://www.becketlaw.org/case/hotchalk-v-lutheran-church-missouri-synod/

Case Summary

Maintaining the faith 

Founded in 1847, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (the Church) is the second-largest Lutheran denomination in the United States. As part of its religious mission, the Church has “ecclesiastical stewardship” over the Concordia University System, a group of Lutheran colleges and universities spread across the United States. Consistent with its religious polity (or organizational structure), the Church exercised its responsibility to ensure that leaders at Concordia University – Portland adhered to the Church’s Lutheran religious beliefs in operating the University, in part by making religiously-informed decisions regarding the appointment of the school’s new spiritual leader, its president.  

Tech giant goes on fishing expedition 

For numerous reasons, including financial difficulty, Concordia University – Portland closed its doors in 2020. In the aftermath of the closure, HotChalk, a multimillion-dollar technology firm that helped run the University’s online courses, sued the school and Church, demanding over 300 million dollars. The Church agreed to produce documents regarding the contract with HotChalk, and its related finances. HotChalk, however, also sought access to internal religious communications among Church leaders about religious doctrine, church governance, and the selection of religious leaders at Concordia. 

But this is not the first time HotChalk has found itself in hot water. In 2015, the U.S. Department of Education conducted an investigation into the company’s mismanagement of online student programs, resulting in a one-million-dollar settlement. 

Protecting religious organizations from government intrusion  

The First Amendment protects the right of religious groups to make internal religious decisions without threat of government interference. Forcing the Church to hand over private deliberations about matters of faith to courts would seriously interfere with the church’s ability to oversee its schools and ministry. As Becket’s amicus brief also argues, disrupting this balance would have damaging consequences for minority religious groups throughout Oregon.  

In the Jewish community, for example, rabbis frequently must make important determinations regarding what Jewish law requires. These decisions often entail sensitive internal deliberations about religious doctrine and Jewish law. The ability of religious minorities like Jews to speak freely without fearing intrusive, costly litigation is crucial to the survival of these communities and their religious beliefs.  

On May 2, 2024, the Oregon State Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, prohibiting HotChalk from accessing the Church’s internal religious deliberations. The case will continue in trial court.

Importance to religious liberty 

Religious communities: Religious communities must be free to operate and minister without government interference, including by keeping internal church communications private, especially when it comes to matters of doctrine and theology. 

Case Information

Becket Role: Amicus

Case Start Date: April 17, 2020

Deciding Court: Oregon Supreme Court

A trial date for the more than $300 million lawsuit has still not been set

A judge has reversed a ruling made late last year regarding the former Concordia University campus in Portland. That’s just the latest decision in an ongoing $302 million lawsuit surrounding the closed school.

Back in December, Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge Eric Dahlin struck down a “lis pendens” on the Concordia property. A lis pendens is a notice that a property has a pending lawsuit associated with it. In January — a month after making his original decision — Dahlin reversed himself after gaining more information from attorneys. The new ruling allows the lis pendens to stay in place.

John Nunes and LSTC ELCA Are Willing To DEI - I Killed It Years Ago

 

John Nunes - "Tanned, rested, and ready to close down another university." (Apologies to Richard Nixon, who used that for his comebacks in politics.)


DEI - Diversity, Equity, Inclusion.

ELCA will continue to promote DEI until there are no male heterosexuals left in their fast-dissolving sect. I saw the graphic in the University of Phoenix education materials. Stuff like that graphic is easily overlooked, and I saw as another example of silliness. 

I was asked to help revise a class in adult education, after 20 years of experience there and lots of good memories. Two of us skipped over DEI in the planning stage of the revised class. Soon the senior Ueberfrau stepped in and said the class must be DEI. I said I was not going to damage the English language in the name of education, so I quit the cabal. They offered me different courses and I asked for no more classes. I got a taunting email from the Ueberfrau, "Do you want to say anything, Greg." I did not answer, and Christina said Hooray too.

The DEI fad exploded at that time, brewing slowly long before that, but steaming up the sewers of education. Large entities in government and education have already banned this assault on equality. The LCA church in Midland wanted to have a day where the ladies would pretend to be handicapped. I said as softly as I could, "Do not mock what you do not understand." They wanted to be pushed around in wheelchairs, wear thick gloves, and blindfold each other. Strangely, I never saw them participate in the nursing homes of the severely impaired. When one former airforce pilot, disabled and dying slowly, told me that Bethany should not be the "only person in the world," I said, "You tell her!" She was lying next to him on the hospital bed and a little miffed I was talking to him and not her. Bethany loved the rebuke against the airman, especially hearing it repeated to Christina. There is no laughter more delightful than one who smiles and laughs as that one perfect expression of love.

***

Leading the Path Forward - Diversity in Education

Lois Elfman

Oct 10, 2024

Over the next two years, Dr. John A. Nunes is determined to strengthen the foundation of California Lutheran University and increase its ability to meet the needs of students from underserved populations.

Since his two-year appointment as interim president began on June 1, 2024, Nunes has immersed himself in the life of the university. He has over 40 years of experience in faith-based, nonprofit leadership, stating that his work as a college administrator is guided by his Lutheran faith. This work has included small, community-based urban development, international relief and development as well as a college presidency.

“This time in which we find ourselves in higher ed with the headwinds posing existential threats to small private liberal arts schools…I strive to lead with what I call empathetic decisiveness,” says Nunes in an interview with Diverse. “We have to make hard decisions, but it’s better to make hard decisions with care and compassion while you have a runway and resources, which this institution does have, before you’re faced with heartbreaking decisions with no other options available. We’re not in a precarious situation, but we are in one that requires action, adaptation and reimagination.”Dr. John A. Nunes

Although California Lutheran University identifies as nonsectarian, it is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Nunes has been an ordained Lutheran minister for more than 30 years and he earned his Ph.D. from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.

“There is a Lutheran liberal arts tradition that places an emphasis on critical thinking, challenging assumptions and inclusion,” Nunes says. “I don’t defend everything that Martin Luther said or did, but clearly at the time of the Reformation (16th century) there was an emphasis that he had around access to education and access to literacy.”

Nunes notes that during the Lutheran Reformation there was a democratization of knowledge. Today, diversity is part of the strategic solution to make California Lutheran University thrive. It is a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and has a minority-majority student body. Nunes is committed to helping the institution deepen its understanding and commitment to its HSI status and has the Excelencia in Education’s Seal of Excelencia as a goal within the school’s reach.
Moving forward, the word Lutheran is consequential to the university’s identity, Nunes says, but Martin Luther’s inclusive vision of education needs to be contextualized for today’s world.

“We work hard to create an environment in which all people are regarded as created in the image of God bearing dignity, value, worth, meaning and purpose,” Nunes says.

At California Lutheran University, there is and will continue to be the idea that every person matters. Nunes works hard to know the names of his students. He moves around the campus on an open golf cart, so he can greet people.

There is a unique opportunity, which Nunes hopes to deliver in terms of every student having a sense of belonging, that moves beyond a cultural event to seeing themselves in the classroom and seeing the university as their school. He has also created an emerging leader cohort program to identify and bring together mid-level faculty and staff for leadership development.

With a two-year term, Nunes knows that he is more than a placeholder for the presidency. It is possible that, at the end of two years, the interim designation will be removed from Nunes’ presidency. The board has been very clear about some of the objectives they have for him. Right now, he is focused on the present.  

“The only way I’m thinking beyond two years is with respect to the longevity, viability and sustainability of the institution,” he explains. “For now, the interim term is one I appreciate because I’m kind of at the age and stage of life where I don’t know what’s next. I might want to just go play with my grandkids. I like writing and speaking. I love leading, but I like to do other things as well.”

Remaining faithful to what is right in front of him includes some imminent challenges. This involves facing the changing world of higher education, which requires creatively thinking of ways to reshape the university’s business model. Other points on the agenda are addressing campus culture and board development.
“Governance is something that we need to think about differently,” Nunes says. “This board has an appetite and aptitude to be adaptive and to remain relevant to our time.”

In addition to diversity, equity and inclusion, California Lutheran University has added justice and belonging. These tenets are being baked into every aspect of the school’s vision and values because it is entirely consequential to the student experience and to the business model.

At present, the university is in the midst of an academic program analysis. Part of that involves looking at what market trends are indicating. The university’s Center for Economic Research and Forecasting issues Latino and Latina GDP (gross domestic product) reports, which include deep analysis of trends for Latinx communities.

“We plan to have a data based, analysis based set of decisions that will continue to adjust our academic programming so that it meets the needs of this student population,” says Nunes.

John Nunes Closed a Missouri Synod University - Now He Can Serve an ELCA College

 

"Ordained as a Lutheran minister in 1991, Nunes holds a Bachelor of Arts from Concordia University Ann Arbor, a Master of Divinity from Concordia Lutheran Theological Seminary and a Master of Theology and a doctorate in philosophy from Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago."

Since beginning his role as interim president of Cal Lutheran University on June 1, John Nunes has immersed himself in the campus culture.

He can be seen shaking hands with faculty at concerts and athletic events, learning how to speak Spanish to connect with more students, and waving to Thou­sand Oaks residents from the golf cart he drives around campus. He believes that connecting with the community matters.

“I’m called and I’m honored to serve,” said Nunes during an interview hours af­ter his Aug. 29 installation ceremony. “I pray every morning and every night and sometimes I say, ‘Just pinch me’ because this job is such a great job and I thank God every day for the opportunity to serve.”

Most recently serving as the pastor at Pilgrim Lutheran Church in Santa Monica, Nunes considers his current position the next step in his mission.

He said his career has been spent in the faith-based nonprofit space in an effort to help marginalized communities flourish.

He was CEO of Lutheran World Re­lief, a member of the Bipartisan Policy Centers’Academic Leaders Task Force on Campus Free Expression, a senior fellow at the Center for Religion, Culture and Democracy, and president of Concordia College New York from 2016 to 2021 when the school closed.

He describes his leadership style as one of decisiveness but, most importantly, empathy.

“I’ve really worked hard to be collab­orative and transparent and to engender an environment where everyone is valued and everyone has a voice,” Nunes said.

With students of color making up 54% of its undergraduate population and 38% of the population being first-generation college students, CLU has the ability to transform lives, he said.

“I come from a family that has flour­ished due to the benefit of an education and the access to an education,” said Nunes, who holds a doctorate of philosophy from Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. “Education is the best anti-poverty pro­gram that we have in the United States.”

Though he was hired on a two-year interim basis to replace CLU President Lori Varlotta, whose resignation became effective May 31, he sees his role as more than a mere placeholder.

“Two years means there’s some work to be done in the interim, and I’m really excited about that,” he said.

He plans to lead a thorough analysis of the university’s business model and budget challenges. This will likely result, he said, in difficult decisions that are necessary to adapt the university and its programs to the current environment of higher education.

Enrollment has dropped roughly 23% since 2019, and from 2019 to 2023, total operating revenue decreased 4%, accord­ing to university data.

Perhaps the president’s top priority, however, will be improving CLU’s rela­tionships in the community.

“The board is really concerned around strengthening the culture at California Lutheran University, and bolstering trust and confidence and joy on campus among faculty and staff,” Nunes said. “I hope I can be helpful in that.”

During her four years as president, Varlotta faced criticism regarding her relationships with students, faculty, staff, alumni, donors and community partners. Critics claimed former U.S. Rep. Elton Gallegly’s lawsuit and the departure of the Los Angeles Rams under her leadership damaged the university’s reputation, and she received an overwhelming vote of no confidence by faculty in January.

Faculty leaders told the Acorn that Nunes has already improved campus morale.

“I am very hopeful about Cal Lu­theran’s future under President Nunes’ leadership,” said Sharon Docter, chair of the Faculty Senate. “Nunes already has established very positive relationships with students, faculty, staff and the broader community. He is an inspirational leader who has a keen understanding of what a special place Cal Lutheran is.”

“I have been really impressed with President Nunes and his leadership,” said Michael Hart, faculty representative to the Board of Regents. “I have found him to be thoughtful, open to dialogue and collaboration, and very perceptive.”

Nunes said that he cannot speak to how strong the school was in the past but that he looks forward to a brighter future.

“I don’t know what three years ago was like and I don’t know what five years ago was like, but I know this: Everywhere I go—and I spend a lot of time in the com­munity— people care about California Lutheran University and they ask, ‘How can I help?’” he said.

From Mayor Al Adam to a neighbor walking her dog on campus, everyone he has met in Thousand Oaks wants to see CLU succeed, Nunes said.

To build on existing relationships with stakeholders, Nunes plans first to listen.

Then, he will focus on how Cal Luther­an can best serve the community, whether it’s through the Center for Nonprofit Leadership or the Center for Lifelong Learning.

“We see ourselves as part of the com­munity and in service to the community,” Nunes said. “That’s one of the reasons I think so many people have been so concerned about how things are going here, and I’m super excited to deliver the message that things are going really well.”

+++

‘Endless gratitude’: Concordia College New York celebrates final commencement

Bronxville, N.Y. — To the casual observer, the May 8 commencement ceremonies on the campus of Concordia College New York (CCNY), Bronxville, N.Y., represented a familiar rite of spring, a joyous event occurring thousands of times across the country, including at three other Concordia University System schools on this date. But for the students, families, faculty, staff and extended CCNY community, this day was uniquely bittersweet, the final commencement in the school’s history. Founded in 1881, CCNY served for 140 years as the Eastern educational institution of the LCMS. Later this year, it will close its doors for good.  

“Today, you are a Concordia College New York graduate,” wrote CCNY President Rev. Dr. John A. Nunes in his letter to graduates in the commencement booklet. “You join nearly a century and a half of impact-makers whose positive influence on our world is incalculable.” 

2009 - Nunes

Long-time readers remember when a homosexual organist, Eric Henstenberg, murdered a female church member and burned the house, hoping to hide the crime. When they tied the crime to him, he accused the dead saint of trying sexually assault him. No one believed him.

The congregation was LCMS, Texas. The organist was working on the next LMCS convention (2004). The pastor was John Nunes, who fled the scene and showed up next as the head of the liberal Wheatridge Foundation.

Nunes was a featured speaker at some event recently. Apostates take care of their own.

St Marcus received a $25,000 grant from Wheat Ridge in late 2008:

http://www.wheatridge.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=khLSKZPDLoF&b=3891075&ct=6347545

Affiliation
Wheat Ridge is a recognized service organization of the Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod and an affiliated social ministry organization of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

On the Board of Directors is:

Ms. Wendy Greenfield
Vice President of Development & Communications
HOPE Christian Schools
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
wendylgreenfield@yahoo.com

One of the Many Lutheran Colleges on the Brink of Disaster

 

The future...

Rick Strickert (Carlvehse) Senior Member Username: Carlvehse Post Number: 11165 Registered: 10-2003

Posted on Wednesday, June 26, 2024 - 7:15 pm:       In a June 26th article, "A Few Thoughts in Response to Some Questions & Concerns Regarding Ann Arbor," Indiana District President Richard Stuckwisch, who is also an advisory member of the CUWAA Board of Regents, stated in part: quote: Please note that I am not writing on behalf of the CUWAA Board of Regents, but rather as the president of the Indiana District, especially for the benefit of those under my ecclesiastical care. The primary question and concern that I have heard and seen from multiple people over the past five months is, “Why the urgency of action in regards to the Ann Arbor campus at this time?” It has come as a shock to many, seemingly out of the blue, and in apparent contrast to indications that all was going well. I understand and sympathize with the confusion and frustration. But the truth is that current circumstances have been developing for some time, to such an extent that the University is really behind the 8 ball now, and the sooner steps are taken, the better, in the hopes that both campuses can survive and thrive into the future. Significant actions are being taken on both campuses, but the situation in Ann Arbor is more urgent, the necessary changes greater. The goal is to act now, before it is too late to turn the tide.... The dire problem has been that the cost per student has been as great or greater than the revenue received in tuition per student. In other words, the greater number of students at Ann Arbor has actually not improved the financial position of the campus... [Boldface added]

The Jeske Time of Grace Apostasy Is Bearing Fruit - Bitter Fruit

 

Pastor Mike is part of the Jeske Corporation, just as Tim Glende and Ski are. Pastor Mike is very much in harmony with  ELCA's gay agenda, just as WELS has been in its Martin Luther College agenda - for long years ago.

Rev. Richard Starr and Scott Barefoot wrote a book together, and they had a "ministry" together too.

The producer of this video is Rev. Tyrel Bramwell, who graduated from Concordia Seminary in Ft. Wayne. It would be interesting to see if he endorses Objective Faithless Justification or the Biblical Justification by Faith.

 

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